Arnold and Helga's Holiday Surprise
by Satokasu Suki
Summary: Secret santa's, school dances, surprise christmas gifts...what's next for Arnold and Helga, and the rest of Mr. Simmons class? *Chp. 1~*


Disclaimer: Hey Arnold and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon/Nick Toons, and **_not_** me! The only thing that belongs to me, is the plot of "Arnold and Helga's Holiday Surprise." Enjoy! 

**Arnold and Helga's Holiday Surprise**

"_Hey Arnold, Hey Arnold, Hey Arnold_," Arnold's alarm clock went off loudly. Arnold sleepily reached up and tapped it lightly. Arnold stretched, and groggily walked over to his calendar, and stroked off another day; obviously counting down the days until Christmas. It was the twentieth. Tomorrow was the last day of school before the Christmas holiday's started. Arnold was getting very excited, and was starting to get in the holiday spirit. 

Arnold went to the bathroom and had a quick shower. He combed his sunflower hair on his football shaped head, and put his hat in-between so it separated as usual. Arnold tugged his usual blue shirt over his head, still leaving his red shirt underneath, visible. He grabbed his books and shoved them in his bag. 

"Grandpa, I'm going!" Arnold called as he rushed out the front door. Grandpa simply continued reading the newspaper on the living room couch, oblivious to what Arnold had said while in his rush to leave. 

Arnold ran down his front steps, and on his way to school, met up with his best friend Gerald. 

"Hey man!" Gerald greeted Arnold, as Arnold kept up his rushing pace to school. 

"Uh, what's the rush?" Gerald asked, raising an eyebrow, as he tried to keep up with Arnold. 

"I want this day to go by really fast!" Arnold exclaimed. "Because tomorrow is our last day of school, and we'll be having a party all day! The faster today goes, the faster tomorrow comes, and the faster we get to celebrate Christmas!" 

"Oh, I get it!" Gerald ran along with Arnold to school. "I think..." he added; confused. 

Once they both reached school, all the other kids were all playing in the soft new fallen snow that had reached the ground the previous night. Some people were making snowmen, while others were having snowball fights. 

Arnold and Gerald decided to make a snowman along with Lila and Phoebe. 

"Oh hello Arnold and Gerald!" Lila greeted. She was wearing a green jacket with light green mittens. She wore some dark green boots on her feet. 

"Hi Lila," Arnold greeted happily. 

"You don't mind if we join you, do ya?" Gerald asked the girls. 

Phoebe smiled. "Of course not!" she said in a hurry. "Uh . . . right Lila?" 

Lila giggled. "They can most certainly join us!" 

All of them made snowmen. After making them, they stepped back and admired. 

"Wow Arnold, yours is ever so handsome!" Lila sweetly commented. 

Arnold smiled. "Yours is pretty nice, too!" 

"Gerald, I like yours!" Phoebe said with a smile. 

Gerald grinned. "Heh, thanks!" He decided to comment on hers, too. "Yours isn't too bad either!" 

They all smiled and admired their snowmen more. 

Suddenly, **_BAM_**! A snowball had hit Arnold's snowman. 

"Oh Arnold, someone has hit your snowman!" Lila stated the obvious. 

Arnold frowned. "I know." He spun around to see who it had been. 

"I should of known," Arnold sighed. It was none other than Helga G. Pataki who had thrown the snowball at his snowman. 

"Hey _football-head_! Nice snowman! You should thank me, I made it look_ better!_" she yelled from across the yard, grinning. She started to laugh at him and his snowman. 

But as soon as she was alone she mentally kicked herself. "Why? Why do I do this to my beloved?!" she pulled out her famous heart shaped locket with the photo of Arnold inside. She gave it a quick peck, and shoved it back down her dress. 

Suddenly the bell sounded and as the kids had grown to learn, that meant that it was time to go inside. 

"Forget about her, Arnold," Gerald commented as they all walked inside to their class. 

~*~ 

Once in the classroom, their teacher, Mr. Simmons, drew their attention to the next day. 

"As you know, class," he began. "Tomorrow's the last day of school! And of course, we'll be having a special party, but there's been something that has caught my eye..." 

Tumbleweed seemed to roll across the class floor, as practically no one was very interested in whatever Mr. Simmons next speech would be about. 

"... Well, all of the grade four class' will be taking part in the School Dance! Isn't that great?" No one even flinched. Mr.Simmons uneasily continued. "Um, anyway, I was thinking that because everyone in this class _probably_ has a secret admirer - everyone should make a gift for the person they get! It's kind of going to be a Secret Santa thing, ok?" 

This brought everyone's attention. "Secret Santa? Whoo - hoo!" Harold cheered from the back of the class. The rest of the class soon joined him with, "Yay!" and "Someone likes me?" 

Mr. Simmons chuckled and his spirit brightened. "Yes! And after everyone exchanges gifts, we can all go participate in the dance our wonderful Student Council has prepared for us!" 

The children cheered. "And as you know, with every great gift, there's always a card! So right now, everyone can make a card for their secret admirer, and make sure to give a little hint about who you are ... so the person might be able to figure out who gave them the card and the gift. Ok?" 

Arnold raised his hand. Mr. Simmons noticed. "Uh, yes Arnold?" 

"What do you mean we'll be giving the person we get, our gifts?" 

"Oh, thank you for reminding me Arnold!" Mr. Simmons continued. "Everyone will be drawing names out of two hats. One will be filled with girl's names from this class, for the boys in one hat, and vice versa for the other hat. And since I had already thought of this ahead of time, you can come pick your person now!" Mr. Simmons smiled. "But ... no peeking!" he warned. 

The children separated into two lines. One line for the boys, and one line for the girls. 

Rhonda was first in line, so she closed her eyes and threw her hand in the hat, first. Once she had grabbed hold of a piece of paper, she opened her eyes. "I got," she started, as she unfolded the paper so she could make out the writing. "Curly?" she asked bewildered, walking back to her chair and slouching in it. 

Phoebe went next. "... I got ... Gerald!" she tried not to act so happy, as she resisted skipping back to her seat. 

Sheena grabbed her piece of paper next. "I got ..." she unfolded it. "Eugene!" she tried not to grin the whole way back to her seat. 

Meanwhile... 

Stinky pulled out his piece of paper. "I got ... Lila!" his heart skipped a beat as he practically floated with joy, back to his seat. 

Sid jealously went next. "I bet there's no one good left, now that Lila's gone," he grumbled as he picked up a piece of crumpled paper. "I got ... Nadine!" he said, with a small smile. 

Curly was next. He threw his hand in the hat, and picked one. "Oh boy, oh boy! ..... I got.... Rhonda!" he said dreamily. 

"Lemme see..." Gerald said as he picked up a piece of paper that had fallen out of the hat and was currently lying on the ground. "I got ... Phoebe!" he grinned to himself, and 'cooly' walked back to his chair. 

Eugene clumsily made his way to the hat. "Let's see, I got.... Sheena!" he danced to his chair, but tripped on a pencil on the way there. He fell with a thud. "I'm ok ..." he drowsily commented. 

Arnold prayed to get someone he actually liked. He unfolded his piece of paper slowly. "I got..." he held his breath. "HELGA?" he exhaled sharply. "There, there must be some mistake!" he protested. Mr. Simmons shook his head. "Whoever you get, you have to buy for!" he replied. Arnold groaned. "Buh - but can't I switch?" Mr. Simmons shook his head. "Sorry, Arnold." 

Meanwhile ... 

Helga was the last person to go. 'I hope I get Arnold, I hope I get Arnold, I hope I get Arnold, I hope I get Arnold, I hope I get Arnold,' she chanted in her head. She unfolded her piece of paper. "I got… _ARNOLD_!" she screamed to herself. She felt like joyfully crying she was in such a happy state. "What are the chances of this?" she happily looked up at the ceiling, and hugged the piece of paper. She was oblivious to where she was, and was swept away into a fantasy world. "Ohhh, Arnold!" she said to herself as she skipped back to her seat, knowing where she was again. 

Everyone else finished picking their pieces of paper, and all made it back to their seats. 

"Well everyone, it's time to make your person their card now!" Mr. Simmons happily replied. 

Helga got some pink tissue paper, two doilies, and construction paper in assorted colours. She was ready to make the card for the one person she truly admired. 

Helga looked at her card in perfection. "Perfect!" she admired. She added a heart, and started cutting the construction paper. 

Meanwhile… 

Arnold glanced at Gerald, who was whistling _I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas_, while cutting small Christmas symbols out of different materials and different shades of construction paper. Arnold glared at him. 

Gerald noticed. "Uh, hey buddy, who'd ya get?" he stopped cutting, trying to make conversation. 

"Helga," he grumbled. 

Gerald cocked an eyebrow. "_Helga_? You got Helga G. Pataki?" 

Arnold nodded miserably. "Ha ha! That's a –" Gerald stopped, noticing Arnold's expression. "…Too bad… uh…" he went back to cutting. 

Arnold sighed deeply, before getting some construction paper. 

~*~ 

Later after everyone was finished making their cards, Mr. Simmons collected them. "Now, I will hand out all of the cards to their proper owners," he announced. He placed a colourful Christmas tree shaped card, in front of Helga. Helga's eyes widened. She had never expected to get something so beautiful! 

_Dear Helga,_

_I hope you have a great Christmas, and get everything you want. Although you have a mean blustery exterior, I know you have a kind giving personality, and you deserve only the best._

_Signed,_

_Your Secret Admirer._

By the way he had written the kind message, Helga could tell that Arnold wrote it. "_Ohh_," she swooned to herself, hugging the card tightly. 

While writing the card, Arnold had realized that Helga wasn't that bad. Sure she seemed mean on the outside, but he had had little peeks at her true self, at times. He glanced over at her, to see her reaction to his card. 

Arnold's eyes widened, and he blinked. Was she _hugging_ the card? He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, but she had noticed and covered it up by scowling at him. 

Arnold blinked. '_Weird…_' he thought to himself. 

"Class," Mr. Simmons struggled at the front of the class to get everyone's attention. "Class," he repeated, "listening ears, everyone!" Arnold shifted his attention from Helga to Mr. Simmons, and the rest of the class listened. 

"Tonight, I want everyone to go buy presents for who they got," he said. "You can get them anything, but make sure it comes from the heart." 

"Can I get them a chocolate bar? Chocolate bars _really_ come from the heart," Harold yelled from the back of the class, pretending to act affectionately by placing a hand on his heart and batting his eyes. Laughs and giggles followed his statement. 

Mr. Simmons sighed. "No, _Harold_, chocolate bars are not an option. Maybe a box of chocolates, as a treat, but not _one_ chocolate bar." 

"What kind of things should we get them?" Sheena said in her high-pitched voice. 

"Well, Sheena, anything you feel comes from the heart, or something you know they'll like." 

"Like a chocolate bar!" Harold piped in, and the class laughed. Mr. Simmons frowned. "No Harold, I said _no_ chocolate bars." He turned back to Sheena. 

"A box of chocolates, clothing, music, reading material, anything you feel would make a good present." 

"Like a –" Harold was cut off by Helga. "Oh put a sock in it, pink boy!" she yelled. 

The school bell sounded, which reminded everyone the day was done. 

Arnold, Gerald, and the rest of their class raced out the doors. "Don't forget to buy your present tonight, and have it ready for your classmate, tomorrow!" Mr. Simmons called after everyone. 

"I should have became a _gardener_," Mr. Simmons told himself with a shake of his head. "Life would be so much easier…" 

Meanwhile… 

"What am I supposed to get for Helga?" Arnold asked Gerald, even though he knew his answer would be negative and not helpful. 

"I don't know, man," he said simply, "maybe a pair of wrestling gloves, so she can threaten you with them instead of naming her fists," Gerald joked. 

Arnold's eyes half closed. "Gerald, I'm serious," he warned. "I…I have no idea what to get her, and I only have _one_ night!" 

Meanwhile, Helga was having the same problems. 

"_What to get Arnold…what to get Arnold…"_ she thought to herself. "I worship the guy, and know a lot about him, but I don't know what to buy him! _Criminey_!" she shook her head in disapproval. "All I know is…it _has_ to be perfect…" she walked down the street, headed for her house, to think. 

** 

End of Chapter One! How was it? Good? Bad? This is my second attempt at writing a Hey Arnold story, "The Cruise" being my first. Anyway, reviews are more than welcome, along with suggestions! Because frankly, I don't know what should happen next, and the next instalment will take while because I'm wrapped up in "The Cruise" at the moment. Anyway, please review! 

Keep readin' 

Reviewin' 

And enjoyin'! 

~ Satokasu Suki 


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